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Oregon-based artist Jason Pancoast hand-makes layered wood art and shadow boxes that depict whimsical, nature-inspired narratives. The artist is the founder of a creative collective called Shadowfox, which works with emerging artists in the fields of art, design, and fashion. At Shadowfox, they “seek to connect people to the beautiful things they value,” and strive to “enrich the world” around them.

Pancoast’s limited edition, wood sculptures are made from laser-cut pieces of oak wood, layered on top of each other. While the outer layer features the material’s natural, dark oak grained surface, the inner layers are painted with acrylic paint in a range of vibrant colors. In one piece, titled The Call, the profile of a wolf’s head features blue, white, and gray inner layers. When glued together they create a moon-lit forest scene, with the silhouette of a smaller wolf walking among the trees. Other pieces feature various animals depicted in rainbow-colored, geometric lines, cut and layered to form a decorative wooden block. “We are connected to nature, and sometimes we need beautiful things to remind us,” say the Shadowfox collective.

In contrast to his wood sculptures, Pancoast’s shadow box designs are made from layers of paper. Inspired by the Pacific Northwest landscape, and having previously studied architecture, the artist first sketches his scenes in pencil. He then scans them, and digitally defines each plane before cutting the layers out of matte paper, and bringing them to life with vibrant acrylic paint. The colorful, painted paper is then set into protective, hand-built oak frames. Some frames maintain their natural essence of oak, while others are painted in complementary colors. Shadowfox explains, “Certain narratives deal with nature and have a natural frame, others depict the scenes of industry and have a painted frame.”

If you’re in Oregon, you can find the Shadowfox team at the Eugene Saturday Market from April to November. Otherwise, you can shop their designs via their website and Etsy. Follow Shadowfox on Instagram to find more of their hand-crafted art and design.